25 min read 16th Mar 2026
Does networking give you that ‘job interview feeling’?
It feels like a performance more than a conversation, because you’re so focused on getting that first impression right.
You might think that this mindset is just a part of networking. But you’re more likely to make a stronger first impression if you leave it behind.
That’s because natural conversations feel better for the other person, too. You’re still communicating your value, but you’re doing it in a way that’s human, and centred on the other person. As Maya Angelou famously said:
“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”
In this blog post, we’ll give you 15 business networking tips you can use to make better first impressions. You’ll learn how to appear (and feel) confident, and give people a reason to follow up with you.
1. Mindset first
The first step to appearing confident is to truly feel confident. You might know what you need to say, but get a mental block when it comes to actually saying it.
This is very normal, and it’s often caused by your monkey mind.
What is the monkey mind? It’s the emotional part of your brain that cares about your survival above anything else.
You might know that you need to network to advance your career, but your monkey mind doesn’t understand that. It just understands that networking makes you nervous, and so it tries to stop you from networking at all by making you think about all the things that could go wrong.
It’s easy for your monkey mind to take over and get in the way of your confidence. There are two ways that you can stop it from doing this:
- Logic: Give your monkey mind a strong, evidence-backed reason to believe this is going to go well. For example:
- “I’ve done other things that made me feel like this, and they went well.”
- “This is where I’m supposed to be right now. I’ve arrived at the right time, and I’m at the right place.”
- Visualisation: The monkey mind is trying to convince you a bad version of the event is going to happen, so much that it’s almost like it’s already happened. You can counteract this by visualising the event going as well as possible.
Imagine yourself leaving the house, and your journey going smoothly because you left plenty of time for it. Imagine yourself opening the door to the event room, taking in your surroundings (groups of people), and walking in confidently.
When it comes to you actually doing these things, you feel less nervous because you’ve already ‘done them’ once before.
When you take control of your monkey mind in this way, it shows. You appear sure of yourself instead of like you’re worried about things going wrong.
2. Research the event
A lot of people struggle with uncertainty, especially if they’ve never been to a networking event before. Not knowing what to expect makes it harder to show up with confidence.
Visualisation is a strong way for you to set positive expectations, but researching the event beforehand also works really well to help you to reduce that feeling of uncertainty and make better first impressions.
Some events give you a gold mine of information that you can use to prepare, but if yours doesn’t, don’t worry. Start with the host of the event, and research their company. This gives you a strong starting point, so that you can go in with some questions prepared. Make sure these questions are framed around them – people generally like to be encouraged to talk about themselves, and appreciate you asking.
You can also research the sponsors of the events, as well as any speakers attending.
3. Take the initiative and start conversations
When you go to a networking event, you might be tempted to hover on the outskirts of groups and wait for someone to invite you in. But being able to approach someone directly and start a conversation with them is more likely to give them a good impression of you. You’re showing interest in talking to them, and you’re avoiding any awkward hovering that could undermine your authority.
If you struggle with this, our blog on how to approach people at networking events takes you through joining groups and starting conversations one-on-one – without the awkwardness.
4. Add value
If you’ve been to a networking event before, you’ve likely come across people that were trying to sell to you.
This can make the conversation very awkward, and can actually do the opposite of leaving a good impression. Wait, what? Isn’t networking all about selling yourself?
In a way, yes, networking is about meeting people who can give you opportunities. But more than that, networking is about making the connections that lead to opportunities.
Because of this, you’ll usually make a better first impression if you focus on being a giver. Think about how you can benefit the other person instead of how they can benefit you. For example, making referrals, or simply using your experience to help someone else to learn something.
Research by psychologist Adam Grant found that “givers are overrepresented at the top as well as the bottom of most success metrics.” We go into more detail on this, and how you can be a successful giver, in our blog on business networking.
5. Active listening
This builds on our last point. To be a giver and add value when networking, you need to find out what matters to the other person.
That makes active listening really important. It also signals to the other person that you care about what they’re saying, and you’re present in the moment, instead of waiting to add your own thoughts.
- Make steady eye contact, and nod when they speak to show you understand.
- Ask open-ended questions, like “Can you tell me more about what the process was like for that?”
- Reflect what you’ve heard by paraphrasing, or asking for clarification. Your goal is to find out more about them and deepen your understanding, rather than to tell them about yourself. E.g. “so you’ve noticed a real difference from working with that provider?”
6. Take notes for your follow-up
Your follow-up is a big part of the first impression you make on the other person. Think about the difference between these two follow-ups:
- Hi Kate, it was nice speaking to you at the Body Talk event.
- Hi Kate, I enjoyed our conversation about business storytelling at the Body Talk event – thank you for recommending The Hero’s Journey to me. I’m excited to learn more about it.
Of course, you don’t have to take notes to do this – but it makes it easier for you to remember those small details. You can do this at the end of the event ready for your follow-up the next day, or you can do it in between conversations if you’re speaking to a lot of people.
As Professor Richard E. Boyatzis at Case Western Reserve University says:
“Remember people’s names and something personal about them and what they care about. People don’t want to feel like they are mere contacts in your files to be useful.”
Richard E. Boyatzis, PhD, Professor in the Departments of Organizational Behavior, Psychology, and Cognitive Science at Case Western Reserve University.
7. Consider your tone of voice
Your tone of voice also affects the first impression people have of you. If vocal impact is something you struggle with, we recommend looking at the 5 P’s: Pitch, Pace, Pause, Projection, and Passion. They’re often applied to public speaking, but they work well for networking too.
- Pitch tells the other person about the emotion behind your message. If you’re speaking in a high pitch, this can indicate energy and enthusiasm, whereas you might use a low pitch to show concern. It’s common for tone to be a little too flat if you’re trying to come across professional, and so varying it a bit more can show more enthusiasm on your part.
- Pace usually goes hand-in-hand with Pitch. If you’re showing excitement, you’re more likely to speak quickly, whereas you might slow your voice to give a sense that there’s a weight behind your words. Be wary of speaking too quickly, which can happen if you’re nervous.
- Pause is about giving your message room to land, or giving yourself time to take in what someone else has said.
- Projection isn’t about how loud your voice is, but how far it reaches. You want to have enough air in your body to speak without straining, so that your voice comes through strongly. We go through a method for releasing the tension from your body for better projection in our blog on communicating with influence.
- Passion is what really sets you apart and makes all of the other P’s come together. Think about a time when someone else has been brimming with passion when they’ve been speaking to you. When you’re speaking about yourself and your business, your voice should carry that same passion.
8. Have an elevator pitch ready
When you start networking, you’ll often be told to prepare an elevator pitch to leave a good first impression. But it’s really important to use your elevator pitch correctly.
As we’ve been over, if you’re too focused on selling yourself or your services, it can give people a negative opinion of you. Your elevator pitch should be a short way to introduce how you add value. It’s about being prepared when someone asks about you about yourself – you should be able to communicate who you help and how, in one or two sentences.
9. Be congruent
Congruency means that your body language, voice, words, and actions are all aligned. If you’re asking someone questions but you’re looking around distractedly, or you’re nervously looking at the ground, they might not think you’re as interested in the answer.
Focus on how you really want the other person to feel and make sure your communication reflects this.
- Do you want them to feel listened to? Put your full attention on them, and speak less to give them more room to talk.
- Do you want them to see you as a warm, welcoming person? Use positive language, smile at them, and most importantly, be human and make yourself relatable.
- Do you want them to have confidence in you? Check your posture – are you leaning forward and standing up straight?
A strong posture can actually affect how confident you feel in yourself, too – a study by Ohio State University found that people who were told to sit up straight had more confidence in their own abilities than those who were slouched.
10. Use the 7C’s of communication
The 7C’s of communication are a framework that help you to strengthen your communication. Think of them as a checklist for making sure your message is as effective as possible.
- Complete: This means you’re including all of the information the other person needs. At a networking event, this could mean giving context to help the other person understand, and not assuming that they know the same jargon as you.
- Concise: ‘Concise’ is the other side to ‘complete.’ If you’re explaining a project, for example, it can be tempting to add lots of background information – but think about how you can simplify it down. This makes it easier for the other person to remember the most important points about your project.
- Considerate: Considerate communication is about understanding the other person. You’re stepping into their shoes, thinking about their needs and emotions, and adjusting what you say based on this.
- Concrete: This is about being credible and giving the other person a reason to trust what you’re saying. Concrete communication can look like giving specific examples, or mentioning your experience in the industry.
- Clear: People are often vague because they’re worried about coming across as too direct, but this can leave a lot of room for misinterpretation. When you’re clear about what you mean, you own what you’re saying and come across as confident instead of hesitant.
- Courteous: Courtesy is about being polite, respectful and sincere. If you disagree with someone at a networking event, how can you discuss your point in a way that respects their opinion?
- Correct: You should be able to stand by what you say – make sure you’re not agreeing to anything you might not be able to stick to, or misquoting research.
11. Be adaptable
We tend to gravitate towards people who are similar to ourselves. But networking events are full of all kinds of personalities, which is why it’s important to be adaptable.
This is about self-awareness – considering your natural strengths, as well as where you can grow. As we talk about in our guide to flexing your communication style, some people are strong listeners and come across as warm and friendly, but not authoritative. Others are excited to talk about their own projects and come across as passionate, but they don’t leave as much room for other people to contribute.
Once you begin to notice these things, you’re able to connect with a wider range of people. Maybe you embrace pauses more to give others more room to speak, or maybe you bring a little more energy into the conversation yourself.
12. Use business cards the right way
If you’re bringing business cards to an event, be careful that you don’t get too fixated on handing out as many as possible. Of course, it’s great to give people your information, but there’s a risk that people start thinking you’re only interested in talking to them so that you can give them your business card.
The best way to use business cards is to give people an easy way to get in touch with you. If you want to follow-up with someone, ask if they’d be open to connecting on LinkedIn, or if you can swap contact details. You can then give them your business card with your information on it as well – this helps you to feel more prepared, and also makes you seem more professional.
13. Ask open-ended questions
We’ve mentioned open-ended questions as a part of active listening. But they also work well to encourage people to open up, so that you can start meaningful conversations.
Open-ended questions are the opposite to ‘yes or no’ questions or small talk. They encourage the other person to give you a thoughtful answer that tells you something about them.
Some examples of open-ended questions are:
- I’ve learned a lot from speaking to different people here. If you could go back to when you first started working in (industry), what would you do differently?
- What’s your favourite part of working as a (job role)? What are you passionate about?
- If you could change one thing about (industry), what would it be?
14. Be authentic
A lot of people have a hard time with the advice to “be yourself”, because sometimes “yourself” doesn’t seem like someone who would fit in at a networking event. Maybe big social events feel draining to you, or maybe you’re struggling with imposter syndrome.
Professor Stephen Joseph, author of the book Authentic, uses the formula: know yourself + own yourself + be yourself = authenticity.
- Knowing yourself means that you understand the person that you are, what matters to you and what you value.
- Owning yourself means that you trust your own intuition and you take responsibility for your choices.
- Being yourself means that your actions are aligned with who you are. Think about who you’re most likely to trust – someone who seems genuine and sincere, or someone who seems like they’re holding back, or putting on a false front.
If you know that you struggle with social events, accept this about yourself and give yourself permission to take breaks.
If you’re dealing with imposter syndrome, focus on knowing yourself and recognising your true capabilities. Think about how you got to where you are, and trust that you deserve to be there. Then bring that to the networking event and let your confidence in yourself show.
15. Dress for confidence
The way people dress has been proven to increase performance – in a 2012 study, people wearing coats described as ‘lab coats’ were able to focus better than those wearing coats described as ‘painter’s coats,’ even though they were actually wearing the exact same coats.
You’ve probably experienced this yourself. The way you dress changes how confident you feel.
So dress for professionalism, and make sure you choose something to wear that you feel genuinely good in.
Master networking with a science-backed communication framework
Do you come away from networking events feeling like you didn’t make the most of it?
When you or your team come to us for a training session, you’ll be taught in the Body Talk Way. It’s energising, inspiring, and based in behavioural science.
Our specialists design your training sessions around you. The real challenges that you face, and the networking skills that can help you to overcome them.
Learn how to walk into your next networking event, knowing exactly what you need to do to achieve your goals.
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Frequently asked questions
We’ve answered your most common questions below.
What’s the best way to make new contacts at a networking events?
The best way to make new contacts at networking events is to give people a reason to stay in touch with you. Focus your networking efforts on building relationships by being a positive influence on the people around you, and being genuinely helpful.
This is how you find the best networking opportunities, because you’re setting yourself apart as someone who cares.
How does virtual networking work?
Virtual networking often happens through online communities on platforms like LinkedIn, but it can also happen in online events hosted on Zoom or Teams. The rules for effective networking still apply here. Take the initiative to start conversations and ask questions, and be prepared to really listen.
When you’re networking online, it becomes even more important to personalise your communication. Remember that you don’t want to blend into the sales emails or messages they’re getting. If you can talk about something specific to that person – something they posted about, or a project they worked on – they’ll usually be more interested in talking to you.
What are the best events to attend for networking?
Industry-specific events are a great option, because they’re more specifically targeted at the relevant people you want to build connections with. They can also help you or your team to develop on your career path by connecting you with industry experts, or simply people who can offer you a new perspective.
Should you keep conversations short at networking events?
Short and sweet usually works well at networking events to give you more time to talk to different people. But you should always network according to your goals. For example, if you’re a small business owner and your aim is to connect with other small business owners, don’t feel that you have to cut the conversation short. Just be aware that other people may want to talk to them or you as well, and you could be missing some other opportunities.
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